In order to earn their first state tournament appearance in nine years, the Royals will need to win two games in a row.

The first team in their way will be the Rosemount Irish. The Irish have been to three consecutive state tournaments and will come into Friday’s game with a record of 7-1.

Hopkins’ and Rosemount’s game plans figure to be quite different.

Rosemount averages 48 rushing attempts per game, while Hopkins rushes only 26 times per contest. Hopkins passes the ball 31 times per game, while Rosemount attempts an average of 15 passes in each matchup.

Rosemount will look to exploit a Hopkins run defense which has allowed 222 rushing yards per game.

Defensively, the Irish will rely on a stifling defense, which has allowed a mere 11.75 points per game. The Rosemount run defense has allowed 85 yards per game, so the Royals will need to get quarterback Oscar Johnson, senior, into a rhythm early in the passing game.

In order to pull off the upset, Hopkins will need to slow down Rosemount’s running game and move the ball through the air, while limiting their number of turnovers.

On Friday, the number six seeded Royals will travel to Rosemount High School to play the number three seeded Rosemount Irish at 7 pm in a win or go home matchup.